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| Corsham | |
|---|---|
 Town Hall and Post Office at the High street | |
  Corsham Location withinWiltshire | |
| Population | 13,369 (2021 census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | ST873706 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Corsham |
| Postcode district | SN13 |
| Dialling code | 01249 01225 |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | www |
| 51°26′02″N2°11′06″W / 51.434°N 2.185°W /51.434; -2.185 | |
Corsham is a historic market town andcivil parish in westWiltshire, England.[3] It is at the southwestern edge of theCotswolds, just off theA4 national route. It is 28 miles (45 km) southwest of Swindon, 20 miles (32 km) east of Bristol, 8 miles (13 km) north-east ofBath, and 4 miles (6 km) southwest ofChippenham.
Historically, Corsham was a centre for agriculture and later, thewool industry, and remains a focus for quarryingBath Stone. It has several notable historic buildings, including thestately home ofCorsham Court. During theSecond World War and theCold War, it became a major administrative and manufacturing centre for theMinistry of Defence, with numerous establishments both above ground and in disused quarry and mine tunnels.[4]
The parish includes the villages ofGastard and Neston, which is at the gates of theNeston Park estate.
Corsham appears to derive its name fromCosa's hām, "ham" being Old English for homestead, or village. The town is referred in theDomesday book asCosseham. The letter 'R' appears to have entered the name later underNorman influence (possibly caused by the recording of local pronunciation), when the town is reported to have been in the possession of theEarl of Cornwall.[5] Corsham is recorded asCosham as late as 1611 (onJohn Speed's map ofWiltshire). During theSaxon era, the Corsham area belonged to the King, and had a large forest, which was later cleared to make way for further agricultural expansion.
There is evidence that the town had been known as "Corsham Regis" due to its reputed association withAnglo-SaxonEthelred of Wessex,[6][7] and the name remains as that of a primary school.
One of the towns that prospered greatly fromWiltshire'swool trade in medieval times, it maintained its prosperity after the decline of the trade through the quarrying ofBath stone, withunderground mining works extending to the south and west of Corsham. The mainturnpike road (now the A4) from London toBristol passed through the town.[4]
Numbers 94 to 112 of the High Street are Grade II*listed buildings known as the "Flemish Weavers Houses". However, there is little cogent evidence to support that name and it appears more likely to derive from a handful of Dutch workers who arrived in the 17th century.[8] The Grove, opposite the High Street, is a typical example of classic Georgian architecture, as is The Ivy in Priory Street. There are more than 60 listed buildings in the High Street.
Corsham's small town centre includes the historic High Street and the Martingate Centre, a late 20th-century retail development.
The stately home ofCorsham Court can also be found in the town centre. Standing on a formerSaxonRoyal Manor, it is based on an Elizabethan manor home from 1582. Since 1745, it has been part of theMethuen estate. The house has an extensive collection of Old Masters, rooms furnished byRobert Adam andThomas Chippendale, and parks landscaped byCapability Brown andHumphry Repton. The house is open to the public all year round, excluding December, and is famed locally for itspeacocks, which also wander about the streets.[9]
Sir Edward Hungerford, the owner of Corsham Court in the mid-seventeenth century, was the commander of the ParliamentarianNew Model Army in Wiltshire, and his wife, Lady Margaret Hungerford, built what came to be known as theHungerford Almshouses in the centre of town.
The Pound is an arts venue and community hub for north Wiltshire, run by the Pound Arts Trust and supported byArts Council England, Wiltshire Council, South Gloucestershire Council and Corsham Town Council. Their Rural Touring Scheme take performances to villages in Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire.[10]
Pound Arts also organises two annual festivals: the Blue Sky Festival in June, for various art forms including music and comedy;[11] and the Magic and Mayhem Festival in November, featuring magic, burlesque, music hall and other decadent arts.[12]
The village ofGastard was a settlement by the 12th century.[13] It has a 20th-century church.
Neston village was established aroundNeston Park, acountry estate whose house was built c.1790.[4] Neston Park is home of the Fuller family, who give their name to theFuller, Smith and Turner brewery in London, known forFuller's London Pridecask ale.[14]
Pickwick was once a separate settlement and now forms the north-western part of the town. The name derives fromAnglo-Saxonpic (meaning a peak or pointed hill) andwic (village). The WiltshireHundred Roll of 1273 refers to a "William de Pikewicke".[5]
Corsham was the inspiration forCharles Dickens' novelThe Pickwick Papers; it is thought that he borrowed the name from Moses Pickwick, a coachman who was born in Pickwick, lived in the "Hare and Hounds" inn,[15] and ran coaches between Bath and London.[16][17]
North of the A4, besides Pickwick, are the hamlets ofMiddlewick,Upper Pickwick andCross Keys.
Settlements now within Corsham's built-up area areHudswell,Leafield,Westwells withMoor Green and Neston further south. In the east of the parish areEaston,Thingley andWestrop, and in the southeastChapel Knapp,Gastard,Monk's Park,The Linleys andThe Ridge.
Pickwick Manor, on the Bath Road, was noted by architectural historianNikolaus Pevsner as an "unusually impressive example of a late 17th century manor house", having remnants of a 14th-century wing.[18] More recently, theGrade II* listed house has been the residence of architectHarold Brakspear and his descendants.[4][19]
Beechfield is a lateGeorgian house in Middlewick Lane, just north of the town. It was extended in the early 1970s to provide additional accommodation.[18] The house was split into residential accommodation while part of the grounds were split off in 2002 under the auspices of the Town Council to provide a nature area where local flora and fauna can be seen.[20] Nearby,Guyers House is a 17th-century house, now a hotel and restaurant.
Middlewick House, just outside the town, was occupied byCamilla Parker Bowles (later Queen Camilla) and her first husband between 1986 and 1995, when it was bought byNick Mason ofPink Floyd.[21] Further to the north,Hartham Park is a Georgian estate that includes a rarestické court.Rudloe Manor, a 17th-century Grade II* listed manor house,[22] is off the Bath Road west of the town, just outside Corsham parish.
For Westminster elections, Corsham is within theChippenham constituency, which has been represented since the 2024 general election bySarah Gibson for theLiberal Democrats.[23]
When theLocal Government Act 1972 came into force on 1 January 1974, Corsham came within the areas ofWiltshire County Council andNorth WiltshireDistrict Council, electing one county councillor[24] and three district councillors from the Corsham andLacock division.[25] On 1 April 2009, Wiltshire became aunitary authority managed byWiltshire Council and the county's district councils were all merged into this body.[26] From 2009, voters in the area elect three councillors to the unitary authority, one from each of three single-member electoral divisions: Corsham Ladbrook, Corsham Pickwick, and Corsham Without (which extends to neighbouringLacock, part ofBox, and the rural area south and east of the town).[27][28]
Corsham's first tier of government is Corsham Town Council, which was created as aparish council in 1895. Although Corsham never had its own town charter, in 2000 it became atown council.[29] There are currently twenty councillors.[30]
The first official census of 1801 showed Corsham having 2,402 inhabitants, while that of 2011 recorded exactly 13,000. The increase shown for 1840 is due to the influx of stone workers and the arrival of theGreat Western Railway.[4] No census was taken in 1941 due to theSecond World War, but the jump in population (from 3,754 in 1931 to 9,268 in 1951, an increase of 147%) is attributable to the influx of military personnel.[31]
The 2001 census demographics of the SN13 postcode area, of which Corsham comprises the major part, did not differ markedly from national figures; the unemployment rate was 2.0 per cent compared to a national 3.2 per cent, and there was a marginally higher rate of retirees (at 23.3 per cent as against 22 per cent). 23 per cent of adults are educated to degree level, against a national average of 20 per cent.[32]
Corsham has four primary schools, an independent preparatory school and a large secondary school. The primary schools, catering for students up to age 11, are:
Two schools outside the parish take pupils from Corsham:BoxCE (VC) Primary School andShaw CE Primary School.
The Corsham School, The Tynings, is Corsham's only secondary school; it was opened in 1972 as acomprehensive and is now a largeacademy with asixth form. In July 2024 the school had 1,264 pupils.[37]
Heywood Prep School, Priory Street, is anindependent school providing education from ages 2 to 11, and has about 260 pupils.[38] It is located on two acres of property in the centre of Corsham, nearCorsham Court, on a site first mentioned in theDomesday Book as a priory donated to an order of monks. The Grade II Georgian building inBath stone is from 1776;[39] later additions include a barn, used as a dining room and later a science block, and a multi-functional performance hall. The school is part of the Wishford Schools group.[40]
A school was first endowed in Corsham by Lady Margaret Hungerford, in 1668 as part of the almshouses.[41] A new schoolroom was built on the south side of Lacock Road by lord of the manor,Paul Cobb Methuen in 1816. The building, which is Grade II listed, is still standing and is used as a further education centre byWiltshire College.[42]
Corsham Priory was referred to in 1336 as having been given toMarmoutier Abbey during the time ofHenry I (1068–1135) as analien priory. An unnamedprior was referred to in 1201, but the priory had become inactive by 1294 and its lands passed toThe Crown and eventually toKing's College, Cambridge.[43] Later a Georgian house was built on the site, which is now part of Heywood Prep School.[39]
The town of Corsham and surrounding villages are within the jurisdiction of theDiocese of Bristol. The churches are served by the Corsham & Lacock Churches team ministry, which extends east toSt Cyriac's, Lacock and St Anne's,Bowden Hill.[44]
The main parish Church ofSt Bartholomew, which stands between the High Street andCorsham Court, is partly built onSaxon foundations. The present church has 12th-century origins but underwent majorVictorian restoration in 1875–1878 byG.E. Street.
Pevsner writes: "A large church with a commanding S tower with spire. It looks as if it were all built for the great house and the estate in the days of Victorian prosperity. In fact Street only restored an old church, but he did it unfortunately thoroughly, and he added the tower."[18]
Street's tower replaced an earlier central tower. Around the same time the chancel was restored byC.F. Hansom, who also added a north chapel for theMethuen family. The north aisle remains from the early 14th century, and the south aisle from later in that century; the nave hasNorman arcades and a 15th-century roof. In 1960 the church was designated as Grade I listed.[45][46]
In the north chancel chapel, the largealtar tomb of 15th-century landownerThomas Tropenell is shared with his first wife, Agnes.[47]
The Church ofSt Philip andSt James at Neston was opened in 1866. Its architecture isearly English, inlocal stone[48] to designs ofJ.H. Hakewill. Internal re-ordering was completed in 1985.[49]
The Church ofSt. John the Baptist atGastard was built in 1912 in thegothic style.[50]
St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church was opened in 1945, replacing temporary centres which had been arranged for the wartime population influx.The building is the former Pickwick school, opened in 1858 on land gifted in 1846 byLord Methuen and his tenants,Sir Gabriel Goldney and Arthur Knapp; the architect wasHenry Goodridge of Bath. The school closed in 1922 and the building was used for a time as a glove factory, then as agas mask factory.[51][52]
Monk's Chapel, built near Gastard in 1662, was formerly aQuaker meeting-house and was transferred to the Congregational church in 1690.[53][54] The chapel is a Grade I listed building[55] and continues in use as of 2016.[56]
TheBaptist Chapel, Moor Green, was founded in 1833.[57] Ebenezer Baptist Chapel, Velly, was founded in 1857.[58]
TheCongregational Church, Pickwick Road, originally met in amalthouse, and a new building was commenced in 1790. In 1971 it closed and is now used as offices.[59]
Ebenezer Chapel, Priory Street, was formed in 1822/3 when some members of the Congregational Church split over doctrine. The present building opened in 1829 and has been extended since then.[60][61] As of 2016, the building is still in use, as Corsham Baptist Church.[62] Zion Hill Baptist Chapel was built in 1859 by a group who separated from the Priory Street chapel.[63]
TheParticular Baptist Chapel, Pound Pill, dates back to about 1824.[64] TheBrethren met in several locations, beginning in the mid nineteenth century at Pockeridge Lodge, moving to Neston, while another group met in Pickwick. By 1903, both were meeting in Neston and in 1925 they bought the Primitive Methodist Chapel, Station Road.[65][66]
A largeWesleyan Methodist chapel was built on Pickwick Road in 1903.[67] In 1984 the congregation was joined by the nearby Congregational church (which by then was part of theUnited Reformed Church) to form the United Church of St Aldhelm. In 2016 the church continues in use.[68]
Corsham is connected toBradford on Avon by theB3109 road, toMelksham by theB3353, and toChippenham andBath by theA4 Bath Road, a formerturnpike from London toBristol. Junction 17 of theM4 motorway is about 8 miles (12 km) from Corsham. Bus company Faresaver operate local services, as well as buses to nearby towns (including the twice-per-hour X31 between Bath and Chippenham).[69]
TheGreat Western Main Line railway from London to Bristol, Exeter and Penzance passes through the town, thoughCorsham station closed in 1965. Proposals to reopen the station have been put forward since at least 2009,[70] and, in 2021, a feasibility study was approved by the Department for Transport.[71]
Nearby stations, and most passenger trains, are operated byGreat Western Railway. Some local services call at the neareststation at Melksham, 4.5 miles (7.2 km) away, butChippenham station, 4.7 miles (7.6 km) away, offers frequent express services and connections.
The eastern portal ofBox Tunnel, the longest railway tunnel of its time, built byIsambard Kingdom Brunel for theGreat Western Railway, is at Hudswell on the western edge of the town.Corsham Railway Cutting carries the main line westward through Corsham to Box Tunnel. In 1971, 6.6 hectares (16 acres) of land in the cutting were designated aSite of Special Scientific Interest for its notable geology.
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Corsham has had atwinning relationship with the town ofJargeau, France since 1981,[72] and has an active twinning association.[73] Corsham holds an annual twinning event in which musical and charity events occur, accompanied by French food and wines. There is also aboules competition for the Peter Henderson trophy which is named in memory of a local doctor and former chairman of the twinning association.[74] As part of the 2008 event, a mockStorming of the Bastille was staged to celebrateBastille Day,Corsham Town Hall standing in for the Parisian prison.[75]
TheMinistry of Defence has operated a number of locations in the vicinity of Corsham since theFirst World War and employs approximately 2,000 people.[76] Several defence sites in the Corsham area are located underground and were formed from historicBath Stone quarries. The largest of the above-ground sites are centred around the Hawthorn area of Corsham.
The Basil Hill site is in Westwells Road and comprises the former Basil Hill Barracks; the site is now designated MOD Corsham and accommodates approximately 2,100 people. It is home to UK Strategic Command'sDefence Digital organisation and also houses the Ministry of Defence's Global Operations Security Control Centre, amongst other units.
The Rudloe site, bordering Westwells Road and Bradford Road, was one of three sites that comprised RAF Rudloe Manor. Rudloe Manor was established during the Second World War as a non-flying station for administrative and command & control purposes. It was home to HQ Number 10 Fighter Group, RAF Regional Command, Headquarters RAF Police & Security Services, No 1 Signals Unit, Controller Defence Communications Network and 1001 Signals Unit. The main site also served as the primary entrance for theCentral Government War Headquarters, variously known as "Turnstile", "Stockwell", "Subterfuge" and "Burlington".[77]
By 1998 it had become mostly administrative, housing the RAF Provost and Security Services, which dealt with security and criminal investigation. The sites were taken over by theDefence Communication Services Agency in about 2000, while the detachment of 1001 Signals Unit of the RAF remained at the Hawthorn site until its privatisation.[78] RAF Rudloe Manor was then absorbed into Joint Support Unit Corsham.[79]
Hawthorn site, on Skynet Drive, previously accommodated the RAF 1001 Signal Unit detachment of RAF Rudloe Manor. The site supports theSkynet military communications satellite constellations, which is now managed byAstrium Services under aPFI arrangement.
The Copenacre site, off the A4 Bath Road about 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Corsham, was originally an underground stone quarry below land formerly part of the Hartham estate; this was taken over by the Ministry of Defence in 1937 and became the Royal Naval Stores Depot, Copenacre.[80] The underground stores closed on 30 September 1995.[4] The site closed completely in January 2011 and was sold.[81] In 2016 demolition started to redevelop the brownfield site into housing. Two original mine structures remain incorporated into the development, one being a shaft entrance.[citation needed]
The Joint Support Unit provides administrative support and facilities management for all three locations. In 2006 aPrivate Finance Initiative contract was let to Inteq for the renewal and expansion of the Basil Hill and Rudloe Site facilities, valued at around £800m.[82]
Corsham Computer Centre is a Royal Navy data processing facility.
The Services Cotswold Centre inNeston is a welfare centre offering temporary accommodation for services families who require it. The centre has 63 family units, a medical centre and other amenities.[83]
HMS Royal Arthur was a training establishment between 1947 and 1993.
A number of defence-related contractors are co-located or in the vicinity of the MoD sites, such as Chemring Energetics UK Limited[84] andSerco Defence, Science and Technology.[citation needed]
Underground extraction ofBath Stone continues in Corsham on a smaller scale than previously.Hanson plc operates Hartham Park Quarry in the Hudswell district, south-west of Pickwick, and Monk's Park Quarry near Gastard.
Disused quarries have been redeployed for other purposes; apart from defence usage, there is awine storage facility at Eastlays, near Gastard run by Octavian Vaults,[85] and storage ofmagnetic media foroff-site data protection at Neston.[86]
Another use for the quarries is thefilm industry. Underground scenes from the first episode ofBlake's 7 were filmed at Eastlays,[87] and disused tunnels form part of the studio complex of Corsham Media Park, a specialist business park that opened in 2001 adjacent toRAF Rudloe Manor.[88]
Period drama location filming occurs in Corsham, as in neighbouringLacock andAtworth parishes.Neston Park hosted major outdoor film sets for the2008 BBC television adaption ofLark Rise to Candleford, and the BBC also filmed scenes for a 2008 version ofTess of the D'Urbervilles in Church Street andCorsham Court grounds.[89][90]
Corsham Court has also been used as a period location in productions such asBarry Lyndon (1975),[91]The Remains of the Day (1993),A Respectable Trade (1997) andWives and Daughters (1999).
In 2014, scenes for the new adaptation ofPoldarkwere filmed in the town's High Street, meaning Corsham then featured in every series until the drama ended in 2019.[92]
Local news and television programmes are provided byBBC West andITV West Country. Television signals is received from theMendip and the local relay transmitters.[93][94]
Local radio stations areBBC Radio Wiltshire on 104.3 FM,Heart West on 102.2 FM,Greatest Hits Radio South West on 107.5 FM, and Kik Radio, a community radio station that broadcast online.[95]
The local newspapers are theGazette and Herald andWiltshire Times.[96][97]
Corsham has anon-League football clubCorsham Town F.C., founded in 1884, who play at Southbank. They finished first in theWestern Football League Premier Division in 2007.[98]
![A 1773 map shows Neston's earlier name of Corsham Side[101]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aCorsham_map_1773.jpg)
Neighbouringcivil parishes (anticlockwise from the north):
Nearby sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs):
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Corsham travel guide from Wikivoyage| International | |
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| National | |